Boulder Top - a Torrey Tale

[killer]

July 14th, 2007

A rather hot spell was followed by a stormy spell up on the mountains but finally on Saturday it looked like the clouds were not going to gather over Boulder Top, well not the black storm clouds

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6467.jpg
I think I'll head up there (this is the southern view from my house)

I turned off UT24 just through the gap between Torrey and Bicknell and immediately noticed a sign for an access road to the Great Western Trail, I thought maybe I would find a track leading to the Boulder Top access road.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1752.jpg
The trail started to climb the spur of Boulder Mountain that forms the southern side of the gap with good views of Bicknell Bottoms

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1753.jpg
Over the top of the spur was a downhill in some deep fine sand, I careened down it and at the bottom decided it was obvious that the trail was going in the wrong direction, then I tried to get back up the slope. No chance, the knobs on my rear tyre are really worn down but I think I would have needed paddles to get up there. I hit it at about 25mph but barely made it 15 yards up the hill before the rear wheel was buried. The tough part was up in the dark patch, all the tracks are mine. In the end I hauled the bike around and set off to find a way out in the other direction,it wasn't far before a track led back to 24.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1754.jpg
Back on the right track I had good views of Thousand Lake Mountain where I had been the day before in the truck

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1759.jpg
The road rises up through the juniper into the aspen, where there are more open areas of aspen the forest floor is covered with flowers

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Lupins, indian paintbrush and in the shadows wild roses.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1765.jpg
Up on top I took a side trip to Raft Lake

Quite a contrast from last September
http://www.bobpalin.com/articles/posey_2006/images/img_003.jpg

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1769.jpg
Road 178 crosses the Top diagonally through the small forests that dot the area

I had intended to ride to Rim Lake then hike around it for a while but I forgot which road it was on so never got there, pretty soon the clouds started to look a bit threatening so I backtracked to Bess Lake.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6474.jpg
The Boulders of Bess Lake

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/flowers/20070714_6493.jpg
There were all sorts of great flowers in the area, these few were all alone though.

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I left the CRF at a camp spot and headed up a little higher, this place was infested with mosquitoes!

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As I started to walk it began to rain and then suddenly hail, only small soft stones fortunately, I took refuge in some trees with the mozzies.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6497.jpg
The hail didn't last long, the trees in more open areas grow low to the ground.

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6496.jpg
Looking across the lake to the bike

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1774.jpg
By the time I got back to the bike it was looking very black again so I set off back across the trail to the main track

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1770.jpg
Noon Lake - guess that's what time they got there.

There was some thunder but I managed to get off the top without getting soaked, about half way down I came across this sign

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6509.jpg
Hmm, that looks like it needs to be explored

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1775.jpg
The GWT followed the contour of the mountain past the Aquarius Forest Service station, it was getting hot by now, the CRF and I were glad of the occasional dip

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6514.jpg
The GWT is an ATV trail, it kept fairly level round the mountain darting in and out of the trees

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/20070714_6510.jpg
and through lots of small streams

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/flowers/20070714_6511.jpg
which had lots of delicate litle flowers growing around them

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1776.jpg
In places it was quite open with steep drops off the side

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1778.jpg
Finally round the corner Thousand Lake Mountain came into view

http://www.bobpalin.com/images/2007/20070714/ride/img_1779.jpg
The track was quite narrow and rocky in places

Right after this I came across a sign I was happy to see - Rocky Unstable Trail Ahead - it was facing the other way! Soon after that the ATV track met a good dirt road which led down into Teasdale and it was an easy run home. Excellent afternoon's ride, 83 miles in total.

Map of the route
http://www.bobpalin.com/images/maps/bt_20070714.jpg

[GPM]

Thanks for the great pics and ride report. Looks like you picked the right bike from your stable for the job at hand.

[BobFV1]

killer - Really enjoyed your report and pics, thanks!



Right after this I came across a sign I was happy to see - Rocky Unstable Trail Ahead - it was facing the other way!

Always good to see those signs from the back! :eusa_clap:

[Bill]

Bob P "Killer" this is Eric F Uncle Bill talking, want to know if I come to the Fall Torrey ride on a F650GS are there places I can go with out doing the 100 mph sweeps? Would like to get back to Torrey as I did enjoy the ride a number of years back. You might come down and ride Copper Canyon and Big Bend with us in late October-have tried to get Whip to join us but haven't seen anything yet. Enjoyed your photos as always - don't be a stranger on the Cafe Board.

[Sir Limpsalot]

I really enjoyed that! Super pic's. You're a lucky chap to have all that in your back yard.

Simon.

[DarthRider]

Beautiful pics !

[Deans BMW]

Bob, great pics, I love your Torrey Area.

[Elsie Smith]

Wow, this looks like such a fun way to spend the afternoon. Thanks for all the pictures!

[Wild Will]

Great job, Bob. Looks like dirt paradise. BTW, how much oil does your CRF hold? What's maintenance like on that bike?
More stories and pics, Killer.

[killer]

Bob P "Killer" this is Eric F Uncle Bill talking, want to know if I come to the Fall Torrey ride on a F650GS are there places I can go with out doing the 100 mph sweeps? Would like to get back to Torrey as I did enjoy the ride a number of years back. You might come down and ride Copper Canyon and Big Bend with us in late October-have tried to get Whip to join us but haven't seen anything yet. Enjoyed your photos as always - don't be a stranger on the Cafe Board.
Hi Bill, there are lots of places you can ride the F650GS on easy dirt roads here, I led a ride in the spring which turned out to be a bit more difficult than intended because of weather but hopefully we'll be luckier this fall. One day I would like to go to the Copper Canyon including Batopilas but it won't be this year, have to take care of the financial matters...

[killer]

Great job, Bob. Looks like dirt paradise. BTW, how much oil does your CRF hold? What's maintenance like on that bike?
More stories and pics, Killer.Thanks, it is a great place to live. The CRF holds 3/4 of a quart of engine oil and I put a quart in the transmission which is a bit more than is called for. It is a very maintenance intensive bike, valve check and oil change every 600 (yes, hundred) miles. That's probably based on race usage but until I learn what the valves are going to do I have to check, no movement in the 1300 miles I have on it so far. It's definitely a high performance machine, 49HP from a 450cc single and a red line of 14,000!